Maybe the problem with O.J. Mayo is that he just did not get enough love in Memphis. Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins is no softie, and Hollins implored Mayo to adjust his game and take better shots, before ultimately moving him to the bench in favor of Tony Allen. The front office put Mayo through an annual trade wringer, bouncing his name all around the league, agreeing to a trade with the Indiana Pacers twice in a 10-month span, only to have both deals fall apart late. And, last January, the Grizzlies made no effort to come to an agreement with Mayo on a contract extension. Over time, this sort of treatment will erode one’s confidence.

If you’re the Mavericks, that’s the hope. In fact, most anything Dallas has to look forward to this season depends on that explanation for Mayo’s disappointing NBA career.

As a refresher: Mayo came out of USC having been a much-hyped prospect since he was in middle school, and the Grizzlies acquired him in a draft-day deal that saw them ship Kevin Love to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Mayo proved himself as a scorer in his first two years in the league (with averages of 18.5 and 17.5 points), but he didn’t do much else, and his shot selection was questionable.

The Grizzlies played better with him coming off the bench, his primary role the last two years, but Mayo never seemed to adjust to the spot, and his shooting percentage plummeted to 40.7 in his third season and 40.8 in his fourth. The disappointment culminated in a brutal seven-game playoff series against the Clippers last spring, during which Mayo averaged 8.9 points and 27.4 percent shooting.

Again, that could well have been the result of a talented player not having the right role or the right guidance early in his career. The Mavs, Mayo’s new team, are hoping so. But there is another possible explanation, and it’s a simple one: Mayo might not be that good.

“Jack of all trades, master of none,” is how one NBA scout put it. “He is not a great shooter. He is not a great slasher. He doesn’t get to the free-throw line. He doesn’t play great defense. He is a solid player, but he is not an All-Star or anything. It is hard to see after four years how he is going to all of the sudden erase his limitations.”

In Dallas, the feeling is that a change of scenery and a starting spot could mean a reset for Mayo’s career, and that the talent that allowed him to establish his reputation as an NBA star (you know, before he ever actually played an NBA game) is there if the Mavs can dig it out.

Because Mayo was largely ignored on the free-agent market this summer, Dallas was able to land him without making much of a commitment, giving him a little more than $8 million over two years, with a player option next season. It is a low-risk, high-reward proposition for the Mavs.

“O.J., we feel, is a starting 2-guard in this league, and we feel his best basketball is ahead of him,” coach Rick Carlisle said this week at an event for Mavericks season-ticket holders. “It was great talking to him this summer because it was clear he wanted to be in Dallas. He had had his eye on hopefully being in Dallas for a long time. I was not aware of that. Any time you have that conversation with a player, that’s exciting. The way the market presented itself, we were able to get him here, and that’s a great opportunity for us.”

Moreover, it is a great opportunity for Mayo, a big part of the reason he has already been in Dallas for about a month, working to be ready this year. He is in his fifth year, and will turn 25 in November.

There is still time for him to re-establish his place in the league, for him to address his shortcomings and show he has the talent to match (or at least come close to matching) the hype that has been his backdrop since adolescence. Dallas underwent an overhaul this offseason, bringing in Elton Brand, Chris Kaman, Dahntay Jones and Darren Collison, but the Mavs’ chances next year depend most heavily on Mayo’s ability to work well as a secondary offensive option with Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavericks are not a championship team, but they have the potential to land among the top seeds in the West.

If Mayo succeeds, he will likely exercise his option next summer and secure a long-term contract in Dallas. Owner Mark Cuban is anticipating that outcome. “I think he can be a star,” Cuban said.

“And I think O.J. knows this is his make-or-break, ‘Who-am-I-really-going-to-be-in-this-league?’ year. Coach is going to give him that opportunity.”

What he does with the opportunity will tell us, for once and for all, just how good—or not—Mayo can be.